A terrific M5th by Chung/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

[John Kim]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6srJlTgVAwI

[John Kim]

Chung gets very subjective in places, e.g., in II. and III., adopting ritardandos and slow downs to express big, deep emotions. But the music can certainly take such exaggerations. The Adagietto is among the most heartfelt I've ever heard.

John

[barryguerrero]

Thankfully, he doesn't do the ridiculous 'slow down' prior to the reprise of the big chorale tune at the end of the finale. However, he does the actual chorale really, really slowly, which, again, takes a bit of the air out of the sails. I don't think there should be a 'massive' slow-down until until you reach the trumpet's top note. If you slow down to almost a crawl, then the following trombone lick almost 'goes for nothing. Still, this wasn't poorly done.

I like the German rotary valve trumpets - who thought that that would ever happen in France! (along with the use of a Wuhan tam-tam). However, I wish their horns wouldn't copy the Berlin Phil. by primarily using Alexander 103's. I like the more 'open' sound of Geyer wrapped horns (Chicago style), Viennese single F horns, and the Engelbert Schmid double and triple horns (Bb/low F/ high Eb). The Czech Phil. guys have been using the Schmid triples quite a bit (and it's really paid off for them).